MIAMI — FIU's women's tennis program earned a hard-fought victory over UCF on Friday afternoon at home. 

The Panthers (3-1) secured the doubles point with wins at the second and third doubles slots. FIU then carried that momentum into singles with three wins of five finished matches to secure the win over its in-state foe. 

In doubles, Katerina Mandelikova and Salma Loudili blanked their opponents from UCF, 6-0. Following an FIU defeat at the No. 1 slot, Kristyna Hranacova and Valery Gynina secured a back-and-forth 7-5 victory in the No. 3 doubles slot to earn the Panthers a clinch in doubles and a 1-0 lead. 

Mandelikova was the first Panther to earn a singles win with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the No. 4 spot. Gynina also earned a two-set sweep, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 3 singles, putting FIU on the verge of a victory.

UCF secured a result at No. 6 singles, setting the stage for two three-set battles for both Khairutdinova and Loudili. 

Khairutdinova won her first set at No. 2 singles 7-5, but fell 6-2 in the second set. From that point, she regained momentum, starting out the third set with a 5-1 lead and securing a 6-3 set victory and a match clinch for FIU. 

UP NEXT

FIU takes on North Florida in Jacksonville on Friday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m.